This invention relates generally to containers and compacts and more particularly to a makeup container or compact with a removable storage tray for cosmetics, powders and the like material and the associated applicator.
The cosmetic industry for many years has sought to develop a makeup container or compact which is adapted to receive a removable and replaceable storage section for various types of cosmetics, powders and the like.
This was due in part to the wasteful prior art type of makeup container and compacts which had to be discarded after the cosmetics contained therein were used up or became unusable for various reasons. These prior art containers which had to be discarded had in many instances outer containers which were expensive.
Additionally, because of the wide variety of cosmetics that were used and the variations in colorations for example in eye shadows which either were in vogue or which varied depending on the time of the day that such eye shadow was used made it necessary for the manufacturer to provide a whole series of makeup containers or compacts each containing various types of colors which required a substantial inventory in order to meet the needs of the purchasing public.
Since the manufacture of the products preceded the placing of these products on the market, the problem of selecting colors which would be popular for a given cosmetic required some "crystal-ball guessing" on the part of the manufacturer which if wrong could result in a substantial losses of sales due to the lack of demand for the manufacturer's quantity of warehoused makeup containers or compacts in the wrong color.
The outer casing for makeup containers and compacts constitutes the major cost in their manufacturer. Therefore, manufacturers of these makeup containers and compacts for the cosmetic industry have sought to develop units in which a single outer casing for a makeup container or compact can be so utilized that a plurality of varying storage inserts can be connected therein in accordance with the needs of the ultimate consumer.
In an effort to meet these problems the manufacturers of makeup containers and cosmetics have from time to time developed makeup containers or compacts with outer containers of relatively expensive construction which are adapted to receive inserts containing the cosmetic materials thus permitting the marketing representative for the manufacturer to keep a smaller number of outer casings and an inventory of makeup inserts having a wide variety of colors which can be selected by the ultimate consumers.
Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,306 a makeup container construction is shown having an outer container with spaced recess portions into which one or more of a variety of makeup inserts made of a sufficiently resilient material and provided with extended tapered lugs thereon can be aligned with the groove in the outer casing so that the makeup insert or inserts can be snap fitted into position.
This makeup container construction while meeting the need for permitting selection of the desired color does not overcome the economic waste which occurred with the prior art devices because this construction also had to be discarded when the cosmetic was used up because the makeup insert or inserts could not be removed once the makeup insert was snap fitted into assembled position.
Other efforts to meet this conjoint problem of easily available selectivity and of overcoming the problems of discarding the more expensive outer casing are illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,642,611; 1,643,944; 1,647,917; 1,664,301 and 1,686,973 in which the insert with the cosmetic material can be removably fixed in the expensive outer casing and then by ejector means operatively associated therewith can be actuated to enable the insert containing the cosmetic when used up or rendered non-usable to be removed and replaced by another insert of similar shape and form containing fresh cosmetics therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,866,467 shows a makeup insert which can be inserted through an opening in the bottom of the outer casing having resilient projections which yield during the inserting movement and then engage in a suitable groove in the makeup insert to hold the same in assembled position until the makeup or cosmetic in the insert is used up at which time the insert can be pried loose and replaced with a new insert.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,694,325 and 3,592,201 show compacts or makeup containers in which projection either on the outer casing or on the makeup insert coact with grooved sections to permit the insert to be forced into assembled position.
A similar problem to that of the cosmetic industry has been met in the arts and crafts industry for the construction of color boxes where a frame for holding various inserts is held by spaced projections on the storage frame for the inserts which coact with grooves in the coloring box casing as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 680,658.
The present invention provides an improved makeup container or compact for cosmetics and other material for overcoming these problems of the prior art by providing in the base member of the outer casing a receptacle for a removable storage tray sized and shaped to fit therein which has a retaining assembly consisting of at least one resilient coacting clasp means on the side thereof disposed in fitted resilient or assembled position in the receptacle to engage an aligned groove in the wall of the base member to hold the removable storage tray in assembled position, the coacting clasp has an actuator which can be manually operated to release and remove the storage tray from the receptacle in the base member of the makeup container or compact. This clasp means enables the user to replace the used storage tray with a new removable storage tray as may be required, thus permitting a single outer casing for a makeup container or compact to be utilized with a plurality of removable and replaceable storage trays having the desired makeup or cosmetics therein.